Valve-gear of fluid-pressure engines



R. L. DESPUJOLS.

VALVE GEAR 0F FLUID PRESSURE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. l5; |920.

Patented Nov. 2 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEEI I.

R. L. DESPUJOLS.

VALVE GEAR 0F FLUID PRESSURE ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED 11111.15, 1920.

1,360,099. Patend Nov. 23,1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEEI 2.

O :t: S

47 i 4j s FigaZ, 1 Inventor @www Attorney.

n. L. nEsPuJoLs.

VALVE GEAR 0F FLUID PRESSURE ENGINES;

UNITED STATES PATENT oi=i=lci= :.-C

p ROBERT LUcinn DEsPUJoLs, or JoinviLLE LE Pour, TRANCE. i

VALVE-Gerin. or FLUID-PRESSURE ENGINES.

` original application filed February a, 1915, serial NQ. 6,425. Divided `15,11920. seriai Nanasaass.

To all whom t may concern:`

Be it known `that I, ROBERT LUoinN DEsrUJoLs, a citizen of the French Republic, residing at`26, Route `de Brie, Joinville le Pont, Seine, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Valve-` Gear of Fluid-Pressure Engines, of which According to the invention the engine comprises three cylinders, onea high pressure cylinder, another a. medium pressure cylinder and the third a low pressure cylinder, and is provided with a suitable slide valve, serving as an intercepting slide valve whereby these cylinders can be caused to form a group acting by tripleexpansion, or

the' first two may be caused to act with live steam and the steam that has acted-in the said Acylinders may be exhausted into the low pressure cylinder, in which case the motor runs as a compound engine. i

This arrangement of the engine renders it possible to dispense with all the interme* diate members, such as a change speed gear, between the engine and the drive for the Wheels and to do so without having recourse to excessive pressures.

Tn the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is avvertical section of an engine according to the invention in development along the lines a, b, c, d, e, 7, in Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 is another section on the lines g, L, z' in Fig. il. y

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section. y

Fig. l is a .longitudinal section of the lower crank case showing the crank shaft, the control of the distributing valves belonging to each cylinder and the various details.

Fig.` 5 is a vertical section ofthe slide valve on the lines j 7c in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a plan thereof. Fig. 7 is a` cross section of the universal joint transmitting the movement of the driving shaft to the diilterential in the rear bridge. The engine comprises a block ofcylinders Specification of Letters Patent.

piessuie eylindei 1o,

` to be overcome.`

Patented Nov. 2s, 1920. andithis application led January cast in one piece and comprisingthe high g the medium pressure cylinder 16 and the low pressure cylinder 17 and also the three `ordinary distributing chests 18, 19, and 20 of each of these cylinders and the chest 21 oi the combined valve which is hereinafter described.

This type of engine insures to the vehicle to which it is applied a speed which is practically constant within the normal limits of the road gradients owing to the fact that its power is always proportionate to the effort cent., the engiiiil acts by triple expansion; beyond this limit, the triple expansion is transformed into double expansion, the high and medium pressure cylinders working withjthe live steam of the generator and both exhausting into the low pressure cylinder owing to the combined slide valvebecoming operative. `This arrangement also presents the great `advantage ofeliminating` any in terniediate member between the `engine and the drive for the wheels, such as the change speed box generally employed in automobile vehicles, and it attains this advantage without having' recourse` to excessive pressures.`

The three cylinders 15, 16 and 17 are constructed so that the` sum of their diagrams approximates as closely as possible to the theoretical diagram of total expansion as is required by the const ructional conditions of every multiple expansion engine.

Each of thecylinders 15, 16 and 17 respectivelyl is provided with a cylindrical slide valve (or any equivalent valve) 2.2, 23,

`Q4: which opeiatesiin the chests 1S, 19, 9.0i

Betweeii the distributors or valves 22 and 223 of the high pressure `cylinder 15 and the medium pressure cylinder 1G, the intercepting valve 25 is interposed (Figs. 1, 3` to 6) this is independent o i` the rotation of the engine and servesthe following purpose Up to a 7% gradient, it permits of operating with the three cylinders 15, 16 and 17 in `triple expansion. Beyondthis limit, the

tripleeXp-aiision is transformed into double expansion, the high pressure cylinder and the medium pressure cylinder 16 acting with the live steam of the generator and both eX- hausting `into the low pressure cylinder 17.

In this latter method of operation, the intercepting valve 25 places in communication the inlet for the initial steam 28, 29 with the admission ports of the mediumpressure cylinder 16 by the intermediary of the Up to a gradientof 7 per` ioo p chamber 30 and V,of the central lenticular conduit 31'formed in-the intercepting valve. It also places in communication the exhaust ports of the high pressure cylinder 15 With the exhaust pipe 26 of the medium pressure cylinder 16 and it eHects this communication by meansV of the chambers 27. The common exhaustV of the cylinders 15 and 16 to the low pressure cylinder 17 is effected by the communication of the conduit 26 with theadmission of the low pressure cylinder 17. v

InFig. 1 the intercepting valve 25 is shown in the position for operation by double expansion. K

The cylinders 15,16 and'17 are connected with the crank case 32 by three stay-slide Y parts. This cross head 37 receives the small vend of the rodv 38 upon a trunnion 39 ai ranged in the usual manner and at its other extremity this rod 38 is connected with the crank shaft 40 rotating in ball bearings 41.

`Atone extremity the crank shaft 40 car- 'riesl a toothed-,Wheel 42 (Fig. 4) which is suitably connected, to drive another toothed ...Wheel 43 imparting movement to the dis- 4) which transmits the driving effort to the ythe corresponding valve.

tributing or'cam shaft 44; it also carries a Vdevice 45 controlling' the pumps.

At-the opposite end the crank shaft 40 is connected witha ACardan head 46 (Fig.

members acting `upon the wheels. The valves 22, 23 and 24'of the cylinders 15,;16, and 17 are actuated by three eccentric vcams 47,*each of which operates a cage 48l guided at' itsjlower extremity by a rod 49 and at the'upper part by another rod 50 connected by an' arm 51 with the rod 52 of This method of operating the valves entirely eliminates any influence due to the Obliquity of the rods.

The-shaft 44 carrying the cams 47 can assume, relatively to the crank shaft 40, positions .Which-are eitherin advance Vor in retard, corresponding Yto different periods of admissionV and of reversed running.

This result is obtained through the intermediary of a worm 53 sliding on the square'shaft 44 of the cams that it drives, its rotation being produced by its nut cut to correspond with theV driven pinion 43 which is held in place by ball bearings 54. The longitudinal displacement of this' screw 53 is veffected by means ofa lever pivoted at 55.

The vdifferent positions of said leverare indicated by straight dotted lines seen l'o the left in Fig. 4.

Each of the cylinders 15. 16 and 17 is provided with two spring plungers or valves 56 which prevent any excess pressure.

The aluminium crank case 32 incloses the connecting rods 38, the crank shaft 40, the distributing members, the ball bearings ,l-l and the bearings 57 absorbing any longitudinal thrusts.

The operation of the intereepting slide valve 25 is produced by a lever not shown) I arranged within reach of the driver of the vehicle.

The invention is especially applicable in connection with the steam automobile ve hicles described in my application Serial No. 6,425, filed February 6, 1915 ol which application the present is a division.

I claim:

1. In a steam driven engine, in combination, three cylinders, one a high, one a medium, and one a low pressure cylinder, a valve and seat for each of said cylinders. an intercepting valve between the high pressure and the intermediate pressure cylinders and a seat for said valve, said intercepting valve seat being provided with communieating openings, said intercepting valve being also provided with openings adapted lo register with the seat openings, and means whereby said intercepting valve may be. ad- `justed so as to place all the cylinders tandem for successive expansion or to arrange the first and second so as to operate together and to expand together into the third.

2. I a multi-cylindered engine. in combination, a high pressure cylinder, an intermediate pressure cylinder, and a low pressure cylinder, the high pressure cylinder arranged to receive steam direct from the boiler and to exhaust it into the intermediate and thence into the lower cylinder, a valve chest and valve arranged between the high and the intermediate cylinders, said chest and valve being providedwith passages, and means whereby said valve may be arranged at will to admit direct steam to the intermediate and high both, or only to the high as desired, and always to exhaust into the low pressure cylinder whereby the engine may be made to work as a triple expansion engine, or as a compound engine.

3. In an engine having cylinders ar ranged in expansion series, means whereby steam may be exhausted from the highest pressure cylinder through an intermediate to the lowest pressure cylinder, each of said cylinders being provided with a valve, controlling the admission of steam, a 'alve arranged between the valves of the cylinders of first and a second pressure, said last named valve being adjustable to admit steam under the highest pressure direct to the cylinder of the second pressure, or to admit thereto lll() only steam exhausted from the cylinder of high pressure steam from one of the slide rst pressure, at Will. Valves or to admit such steam so that two 4. In a multiple cylinder steam engine, in cylinders may he arranged n expansion se- 10 combination, three cylinders arranged n eX ries or in parallel and means whereby in any 5 panson series, a slide valve for each, an ease exhaust may be made into a cylinder of nteroeptng slide valve for two of the eyllower pressure. nders, said valve being arranged to out off ROBERT LUCIEN DESPUJOLS. 

